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Belgium legalises euthanasia for children of any age

BELGIUM has become the first country to legalise euthanasia for children of any age – but expect a trickle rather than a flood of kids making that choice.

The law requires a psychiatrist to vet each case, and parents must approve a child’s decision. The child has to be able to decide for themselves, although there is no minimum age.

Only a handful of children a year are likely to request euthanasia, says Luc Deliens, chair of the end-of-life care research group at the Free University of Brussels and Ghent University. “There will be no explosion of euthanasia cases.” Referring to surveys in terminally ill children, he says that children avoid asking for euthanasia because they think it would upset their parents.

The new law comes as several countries, including the UK, are debating someone’s right to die. Belgium legalised euthanasia for over-18s in 2002. It is permitted for adults in Luxembourg, and over-12s in the Netherlands, while a few US states, and Switzerland, have legalised assisted suicide.

This article appeared in print under the headline “A child’s right to die”